Frankenstein Father Son Relationship Essay

The relationships between fathers and sons have long been the center of narratives. Dating back to the Old Testament and the Torah, there have been themes of how a father and son can fail or fulfill each other. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is no different. In this text, the father/son relationship between Frankenstein and his creature is in conflict because of shame and a lack of understanding. This contributes to the meaning of the novel by illustrating that nurture is as powerful a force as nature.

It is aboard Walton’s ship that the audience first sees the father-son relationship between Frankenstein and his creature. Despite the conspicuous absence of the creature from Walton’s letters, his presence weighs on Frankenstein’s mind. Frankenstein

The earlier chapters of Frankenstein set this up, with Frankenstein’s upbringing and his familial dynamics leading up to his creation. “No human being could have passed a happier childhood than myself. My parents were possessed by the very spirit of kindness and indulgence,”(Shelley 30). Frankenstein was brought up in a life of plenty and opulence, never wanting for anything or going hungry, or even without love. Though Frankenstien experiences poverty secondhand, he is unfamiliar with what it feels like to go without. Not only does he not understand, but upon the completion of his creation, “. . .the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart. Unable to endure the aspect of the being I had created, I rushed out of the room and continued a long time traversing my bed-chamber, unable to compose my mind to sleep,”(Shelley 47). A lack of understanding combined with sudden shame to thrust the creature into the world to fend for itself, without any of the luxuries of Frankenstein. Here, the meaning of the novel shines through. Frankenstein’s nature, whatever it may be, has been confounded by the way he was raised, his nurture. He never wanted for anything, so he has no understanding of why he would accommodate a creature that he created, despite his

He lives in a “hovel…constructed of wood, but so low that [he] could with difficulty sit upright in it. No wood, however, was placed upon the earth, which formed the floor…the wind entered it by innumerable chinks,” (Shelly 90). Despite these inhospitable lodgings, the creature does not complain. He tells Frankenstein that he found it to be an “agreeable asylum from the snow and rain” (Shelly 90), where he can retreat and “lay down happy to have found a shelter” (Shelly 90). His nurture, his upbringing has given him perspective that badly-built walls are better than none, so he is happier than he was in the open. Even in his poverty, even when he is stealing to survive, the creature does not take so much food that he would hurt the people who live in the cottage. This furthers the lack of understanding between the creature and his